Just imagine for a moment that every time you are with someone, that person feels better from being around you, even if it's only for a brief moment.
Picture yourself at work, or at home, feeling all warm and smiley.
You feel at peace with the world.
That is it. That is your gift to your loved ones, and to the greater world: A Happy Camper in the Planet Earth Adventure!
If you're like a lot of people, you believe that you can serve others, and save your happiness for the next life, or be selfish here and now. I used to see life in terms of this dichotomy, but now I see things differently. It's not "either/or", it's "and."
If each of us were to commit to making ourselves feel joy, most of the time, imagine the consequences! What a gift to our parents, our children, our friends.
It is said that one fourth to one third of U.S. citizens suffer from depression, which we can define as "anger turned inward." Why the anger? You can probably reduce it to some form of thinking that life is not turning out the way we expected, and/or other people are not behaving the way we think they should.
What if you could let go of all that, and just find joy in the sound of the whirring fan, the birds chirping, or your dog's enthusiasm.
Try making your joy your top priority, as your complete responsibility. The world will be a better place.
